


The Commander and the Thief

by GaugeMnemosyne



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-05-20
Updated: 2013-05-20
Packaged: 2017-12-12 10:51:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/810743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GaugeMnemosyne/pseuds/GaugeMnemosyne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two lonely souls get to know each other on the Normandy SR2. They laugh, they cry (well, one of them does), and they sleep together. Wait, I mean they use the same bed at the same time. No, that isn't right. Hmm, it seems you don't have to be drunk to mess that up! Wishy-washy FemShep/Kasumi pairing set during the earlier days of Mass Effect 2. Rated M for language and sexual references.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intoxicated

Though she wouldn't admit it to her, Kasumi Goto had a bit of a crush on Commander Shepard. Well, maybe a little more than a bit. The way Shepard carried herself around the Normandy, oozing confidence and leadership, was something one couldn't just ignore. When Shepard entered a room, Kasumi didn't need to look up to see, she just felt her there, yet the thief wasn't sure if it was the commander's confident aura or her scent that made Kasumi aware of her presence.

It was common knowledge that Shepard used to be in a relationship with a former ship-mate, and a female former ship-mate at that (well, at least as female as asari could be), and so there was the underlying sense that maybe, if Kasumi made the first move, it wouldn't be completely out of left-field for her target. Not that she had much confidence about it. Shepard had just entered the port observation deck, which Kasumi had unofficially claimed as her room, and, sitting on the couch with her feet up in front of her, Kasumi had blurted out the words, 'I was just thinking about you!' Luckily, it sounded fairly innocent, even though it wasn't.

Kasumi wasn't merely thinking about Shepard, she was actually having a bit of a fantasy involving Shepard. Not anything overly sexual, at least beyond the odd thought about what such things would be like, but rather that she was fantasizing about having Shepard sneak up behind her and wrap her arms around her, maybe planting a kiss on her neck. The thief was just about to call it a night and see herself to bed when the door hissed open revealing Shepard. Kasumi's heart did a back-flip, she felt a surge of adrenaline, and the statement came out without a thought toward it being something she shouldn't be uttering. It was if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't, and instinctively confessed her sins out of guilt. She wasn't normally one to give up her secrets in such a way, but there was something about Shepard that made Kasumi feel incredibly at ease.

Shepard smiled warmly in reply and made her way to the bar, as if people openly admitting they were thinking about her was a common occurrence. Either Shepard was extraordinarily confident in her social abilities that she brushed it off for what it was, a comment borne out of surprise, or she genuinely didn't think much of it. Perhaps Kasumi had come off as sounding like it was something she'd say to anyone. The thief was certainly known for speaking her mind a bit.

Regardless, Kasumi was a little embarrassed and hoped once Shepard had fixed herself a drink, the commander would disappear through the door after a quick goodbye and let Kasumi go to bed, where she would probably stay awake for a few hours more thinking about her. These hopes were mainly out of embarrassment, because, despite herself, Kasumi wished nothing more than to spend time with Shepard. This wish was seemingly granted, as Shepard walked up to Kasumi, handed her a drink and sat down next to her. Kasumi braced herself and planted her feet on the ground. She needed to be 'Kasumi Goto: Master Thief' at this moment, and not the silly, lonely little girl she felt, so she breathed deeply and with all the casualness she could muster, asked, "Shep, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Shepard smiled and took a sip of her drink before replying. "Well, you know me and how I like to get to know my crew. We haven't had much of a chance to do that together so far. The only real interaction we've had involved getting shot at by a fucking gunship, and while that can reveal certain aspects of whoever you're sharing that experience with, I'd argue it's better just to have a friendly chat. Certainly less dangerous, anyway. So I thought I'd come and sit with you for a bit. That is if you're not busy."

"I'm not, you're more than welcome." Kasumi took a sip of her drink as she watched Shepard smile then look away to take in the room and the view of deep space through the large view port. In reality, Kasumi had been kind of busy, and was looking forward to jumping into bed and maybe slipping into a dream that involved Shepard, but all that was forgotten with the thrill of seeing Shepard walk into the room. She had been forcedly pushed back into the real-time and she was now planning ways to make herself look like a relationship prospect to Shepard. Kasumi scarcely realised it what with the distraction of Shepard, but her heart was beating loudly.

"So, you were just thinking about me, were you?" Shepard asked with a wry smile. "May I ask what that involved?"

Kasumi swallowed the little sip she had taken of her drink in her haste to answer. "Oh, you know, just things. Random bits and pieces."

"Like what?"

Kasumi was trying to think of something concrete to say, but her mind wasn't letting her. She watched as Shepard's tongue parted her lips and then disappeared, leaving them ever so slightly moist. Though it was nothing sexual, just a quick lip of the lips after having taken a sip of her drink, Kasumi couldn't help but be hypnotised by it.

"It's nothing, just…"

"I'm all ears, Ms Goto," Shepard remarked with a smile, trying to pry the information from the thief.

"Well, on Omega," Kasumi started, thankful that her addled brain had finally thought of something. "When that batarian poisoned you, how come it didn't… you know… kill you?"

"Oh. I'm sort of 'synthetically enhanced,' you might say. I'm assuming it has something to do with that."

"Yeah, I'd heard about that. It's quite exciting!" Kasumi actually thought it was more fascinating than exciting. "So have you got metal limbs or anything like that?"

"Oh, no. It's mostly just things I needed when they rebuilt me. Nothing incredibly drastic, as silly as that sounds. I'm still mostly me. I do have bone and muscle weaving, so I'm stronger than I once was. Not super-human, but it took some getting used to. Thankfully, Cerberus had the foresight to do most of my physical rehab while I was still asleep."

"Anything intimate?" Kasumi asked before she could stop herself. "Oh, I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that!"

Shepard laughed kindly. "Don't worry, I'm assuming you're just curious. It's not everyday you meet someone who has died and been rebuilt. And like I said, we have to get to know each other."

"Intimately?" Kasumi said without thinking, again. She was trying to see if Shepard would acknowledge her as a potential partner, and this was her awkward and heavy-handed way of doing it. "Ack, I didn't mean that! What did you put in this drink, Shep?" Kasumi praised herself for adding that playful little accusation.

"Hey," Shepard laughed. "Don't blame me for your not being able to handle a bit of drink! There's only a touch of vodka in it. And in answer to your question, everything still works. Well, on the surface it does anyway," Shepard added, her smile faltering a little.

"On the surface? What do you mean?" Kasumi inquired, trying not to sound too nosey.

"It's just that," Shepard said as she leaned back into a stretch, of sorts. "It doesn't look like I'll be able to have kids."

"Oh, Shep. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."

"Don't be, I think I needed to say it out loud," Shepard said, staring into her glass. "Besides, I hadn't even thought about having kids before being told I couldn't. Not really, anyway. I suppose Cerberus didn't think it was worth the money. I can't be too mad about that, though. Without them I'd still be dead. It's just… I don't like having that choice taken away from me, you know?" Kasumi nodded with a sympathetic smile. "They seem to have put everything back in the right place, so I can still…" Kasumi looked bewildered. "You know… _imaxclay_." Shepard muttered under her breath and nodded encouragement toward Kasumi, who, after a couple of seconds, understood Shepard's use of Pig Latin, and felt a pang of excitement in her core as she did. "It's just they didn't reconnect the pipes or whatever. It's not so bad, anyway."

"How so?"

"Well, you know I had that asari girlfriend?"

"Liara, wasn't it?"

"Yeah. Well, maybe, after I'm done with all this shit," Shepard gestured vaguely at the room. "I'm hoping that we can sort ourselves out and have a future together. She'll be the one popping them out. Little blue children." Shepard smiled to herself, deep in thought.

"Aww, Shep, that's adorable." Kasumi was genuinely moved by Shepard's words, but also somewhat disappointed. The thief hadn't realised that it was that serious, that Shepard was planning a life with her asari girlfriend. She also felt guilty about having feelings for this woman who, for all intents and purposes, was already claimed by another. Kasumi wasn't a home-wrecker. She was just… lonely.

"That's well into the future, though. I mean, I've got a lot on my fucking plate at the moment! But it's something to live for, something to fight for. I think we all need something like that. What is it you're fighting for, Kasumi?"

"Oh, I don't know. I did have Keiji, but… I suppose that part of my life is over." Kasumi welled up despite herself. She didn't know why she had suddenly let her emotions get the better of her. She had said goodbye to Keiji right in front of the commander, even though Shepard had advised her to keep the greybox, and not let herself go, but what with Shepard now almost completely out of her reach, along with losing her lover, and the loneliness those things made her feel, it all finally overwhelmed her. Kasumi let out a sob, and Shepard leaned forward to check the thief's face under her seemingly perpetual hood.

"Hey, hey. Come here." Shepard pulled Kasumi over into a one-armed hug when she saw that the poor girl had started crying. Kasumi let her head rest on the commander's shoulder. As big a bad-ass as Shepard could be on the battlefield, she seemed to be just as big on caring about her friends. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. That was a stupid thing to ask."

"It's all right, I'm just being silly," Kasumi reasoned with herself.

"I'll be the judge of that. As far as I can tell, you're more than within your rights to feel this way." Shepard paused for a while, seemingly in thought. "Come on, let's go up to my room, it's more private. Don't worry, I'm not taking advantage of you and your emotional state, it's just hanging out."

Kasumi smiled through her tears and laughed a little. "I think I'd like that, actually."

* * *

Seeing the Captain's Cabin was all Kasumi needed to take her mind off things for a little while. She was awestruck by it. While it was somewhat utilitarian in design, it was still quite impressive. The light from the large fish tanks in the left wall bathed the room in a bluish hue that contrasted nicely with the orange light that came from the user interface of Shepard's armour locker. The partition on the right of the entry was raised from the rest of the room, and had a glass case with a couple of ship models displayed in it. In front of that was a desk, which housed Shepard's private terminal, a medal display case and what looked like a picture frame with a blank screen. On the shelving of the wall opposite the display case was a small perspex box, and in it, scurrying about, a little hamster.

"This is quite the room, Shep!"

"Yeah. It's nothing like the room I had on the old Normandy. That was lot more… erm… well, it was a Systems Alliance room. Not much in the way of personal comforts."

Kasumi was peering into the fish tank, watching the lonesome Illium skald fish dart about. "So you're saying they _didn't_ put a luxurious fish tank in your original quarters? The bastards."

"Says the girl with a panoramic view of the galaxy in her room," Shepard laughed. "I like the way you seem to have just claimed the port ob, by the way."

"Well I'm not sleeping in the crew quarters. I'm not military, I need my privacy, and a lot of it. I don't even like using the shower in the ladies' bathroom," Kasumi moaned.

Shepard walked up to the wall next to the shelving in the higher part of the room, and it opened, revealing a bathroom. "You can use this one if you feel the need."

"Wow, Shepard. You really have got it good," Kasumi said after joining Shepard at the door to the bathroom, peering into it.

"Maybe in a few years, when you've saved the galaxy, you might be afforded such luxury, too."

"Hey, I never said you didn't deserve it. Besides, people don't afford me anything. I tend to just take it," Kasumi added, with a cheeky grin.

"That explains the port observation deck. I'm actually surprised you haven't found your way up here before now. You… you haven't been up here before tonight, have you?" Shepard asked with a look of apprehension.

"Of course not. You're supposed to be able to trust me. It wouldn't be wise to piss you off, especially since my life might end up in your hands."

"Kasumi, I wouldn't just let you die somewhere purely because I couldn't trust you."

"I know you wouldn't, and it's because of that I _don't_ sneak into your room. That, and I like you. You're cool, Shep."

Shepard chuckled. "It's been a while since anyone said I was 'cool.' So, do you want to start using my shower?"

"Whenever I want?"

"Whenever you want."

_Even when you're in the middle of using it?_ Kasumi had stopped herself from saying. "Yeah, that'd be amazing. Thanks, Shep."

"Good. The port ob was starting to smell a little funky."

Kasumi feigned being offended with a gasp and pushed Shepard lightly in the shoulder. Shepard just stood there and took it with a cheesy grin spread widely across her face. The thief then turned to examine Shepard's ship models, and as she got close enough to it, she noticed the picture frame on the desk next to her flicking on.

"Oh, is this Liara?" The thief said as she picked up the photo to get a closer look and turned her head toward Shepard, who nodded in confirmation. "She's beautiful. And young! Wow, Shepard."

"Young? She's a hundred and six years old! Well, a hundred and eight, now."

"How young is that by asari standards? She doesn't look much over twenty."

"I haven't got a clue. She once said she was seen as little more than a child by her people, though."

"Did that not make you feel guilty?"

"A little, at first. But she's a lot stronger than she thinks she is. Or thought she was, maybe. Besides, she kinda made the first move."

"What's this? The Great Commander Shepard, seduced by a young asari maiden?" Kasumi teased.

"I suppose so!" Shepard laughed.

"So, is she the love of your life?"

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I thought so. I don't know about now. I haven't seen her in two years. That's a long time to have missed." Shepard looked slightly downtrodden as she confessed this to Kasumi, which the thief noticed.

"I'm sure she still loves you, Shep. If she's got any sense, that is."

Shepard laughed and flashed a genuine smile of appreciation at Kasumi. "She has. She's the most intelligent person I know."

"Well there you are, then. You're worrying about a whole load of nothing if you ask me."

"Thanks, Kasumi. You're gonna make me blush."

* * *

The pair found their way to the seats situated on the lower half of the room in front of the bed and sat down, Shepard planting the bottle of alcohol and their glasses on the table as they did. They engaged in light conversation for about an hour until Shepard yawned widely and stretched.

"Holy fuck, I'm tired…" Shepard half slurred.

"And a little drunk from sounds of it."

"Shpeak for yourshelf, Kashumi," Shepard replied, exaggerating her drunkenness.

"I'm beat, too. Thanks for this, Shep. I had fun."

"Not a problem." Shepard stood up, almost off-balance, and stretched, looking around at the room. "You can sleep up here if you want."

"Thanks, but I have a bed in my room, and I'd rather use that than your couch."

"I have a big bed _right there_ ," Shepard pointed at the bed with one eye closed, as if lining up a shot on it with the rifle that was her arm, "and I think we should both use it together," Shepard said, without actually realising quite what she was implying. "Wait, I was just asking if you wanted to sleep with me. I mean… for fuck's sake. I am pretty fucking drunk," Shepard added with a big smile.

Kasumi was almost in hysterics watching Shepard act so very unlike herself. She was normally so composed, she had confidence in everything she said and her words were usually a lot more… well, intelligible. She really was quite drunk.

"I get you, Shep," Kasumi finally managed to say after her laughing had subsided enough. "Like you said, you're not trying to take of advantage of me."

"I think it'd be the other way around now, seeing how drunk I am. Jesus Christ."

"I think I had better stay with you, actually. Can't have the only hope for humanity choking on her own vomit, can we?"

Shepard chuckled. "I'm not that drunk!"

As Shepard walked over to the bed and started to disrobe, Kasumi stepped quickly out of her outfit and hopped into the bed. With her back against the pillow and her head against the headboard, she watched Shepard struggle with her clothing. "Now who's the lightweight?" Kasumi asked from the bed.

"Fuck you, Goto," Shepard laughed, slightly muffled through the shirt that was up over her head. When she'd finally, clumsily climbed out of her trousers, she looked at Kasumi, who was for once lacking her hoodedness and had her straight, shoulder length and almost pitch black hair on show. Shepard cocked her hip and put a hand on her waist as she said, "who's this beautiful girl in my bed and what have you done with Kasumi?"

"Oh, ha ha, Shepard," Kasumi sarcastically returned, though she appreciated the compliment.

"Seriously, you should show your eyes off more. You're gorgeous without your hood."

"I could say the same for you and your bra."

"Well, shit," Shepard said as she covered her exposed breasts with her arms, and looked back up to Kasumi with a toothy grin. "I'll just put a shirt on."

"Yeah, I think that'd be for the best," Kasumi agreed, though she admitted to herself, albeit guiltily, that it was quite the thrill to see Shepard standing in front of her in nothing but her panties.

Shepard all but collapsed prone onto the bed after pulling her t-shirt on, and pulled the covers over herself. "Sometimes, you just don't realise how drunk you are until you try to take off all your clothes off," she mumbled into the pillow.

Kasumi chuckled, settled herself into the bed and turned away from Shepard. It had been a strange night for Kasumi. She thought about the situation she was in as she laid next to Shepard, thinking about how it was what she had wanted. The hows and whys however were not. She concluded that her and Shepard wasn't a possibility, but now she could at least call Shepard a friend, and that was enough. As she reflected on this, a single tear fell across her nose onto the pillow. It took a while for her to fall asleep, even as Shepard lightly snored beside her, but she was happy she had stayed.

* * *

Shepard awoke to feel a strange weight on her chest, and an unfamiliar but pleasant smell filled her nostrils. She opened her eyes and looked down to see her view blocked by the top of Kasumi's head, who was snuggled up to her quite comfortably. She didn't quite know what to do in this situation, though she was quite glad she had decided to put a shirt on, as Kasumi's head was resting just above her bosom. She could also feel Kasumi's arm atop her stomach, underneath both the covers and, somehow, her shirt, as well as their bare legs intertwining. She didn't know whether to try to liberate herself gently from under the thief or wait until Kasumi woke up and let her do it herself, feigning sleep while she did. She didn't want to embarrass the poor girl.

Though there was a vague feeling of awkwardness in Shepard about her predicament, she couldn't help but feel extremely comfortable. It had been a while since she had been with Liara. Though two years had passed, it only felt like a few weeks to Shepard. Ever since Ilos, she and Liara had nary gone a day without waking up to each other, so they had both gotten very used to it, enough that to go without it wasn't a particularly nice experience. Shepard remembered the first time she had awoken in this bed, on the new Normandy, and she had never felt more lonely in her life.

So for the first time since her revival, Shepard woke to feel another life by her side. Even though it might cause awkwardness and embarrassment later, Shepard was happy enough not feeling alone in those vulnerable first moments of cognizance after sleep. She gently gave Kasumi a kiss on the top of her head, closed her eyes and fell back to sleep.


	2. Tangled Up

Kasumi Goto woke up in a strange room, which quickly became familiar as the memories of the night before came back to her. What was certainly unfamiliar was the body upon which her head was resting. She raised herself slightly and saw an N7 emblem emblazoned on a black shirt. She had been sleeping with her head on Shepard's chest. She checked the commander, hoping that she was still asleep, which thankfully she was, and watched for a moment, taking in her face. There was an intimacy in watching someone sleep up close, so much so that Kasumi felt a little guilty. But seeing the commander like this, with the vulnerability that only sleep can display, was incredibly endearing, as well as humanising. Kasumi remembered watching the vids of Shepard becoming the first human Spectre, then seeing interviews with her just after the Battle of the Citadel and how everyone was lauding her as a hero. Kasumi thought how weird it was now to be sharing a bed with her. She could put a finger up her nose or make her pull a funny face if she wanted, but that would probably wake her up.

The thief then realised in slight horror where her legs were: braided around Shepard's, similar to how lovers' legs might find themselves of a morning. The hand that had somehow found its way to rest on Shepard's stomach beneath her shirt was the least of Kasumi's worries. Somehow, she managed to carefully extricate her limbs from the minor tangle without waking Shepard, enjoying the feeling of their bare skin brushing together even though she knew she shouldn't, and rolled away from the commander. When she felt she was safe enough to be able to stretch without interrupting Shepard's nap, she did so, and so satisfying was it she reasoned she had probably just had her best night's sleep in a fairly long time.

Kasumi sat up and looked at Shepard over her shoulder to confirm she was still in the midst of slumbering, which she was. The commander's face was tilted ever so slightly toward Kasumi, with her mouth a little open, dyed red hair splayed messily on the pillow beneath her head, with a single lock draped neatly over one of her closed eyes. Confident that the commander was still dead to the world, the thief touched Shepard lightly on the nose with a finger and said, "bonk," under her breath. Kasumi then turned her body and planted her feet on the strange rubbery floor tiling that ran through most of the ship. She took a quick look at the clock next to her side of the bed, which showed that it was still fairly early. She wondered if she should wake Shepard, but reasoned that if a professional woman like Shepard was supposed to be up at this time, she would be. In fact, seeing as Shepard had been on a particularly dangerous assignment the day before, Kasumi presumed that they were on their way to, or perhaps were already docked at, the Citadel for shore leave.

Kasumi stood up, stretching once more. She instinctively bent over to touch her feet with the palms of her hands while keeping her legs straight.

"Now that's a nice view to wake up to." Kasumi stood up straight and whipped around to see Shepard, still in bed but now awake, with a devilish grin on her face and having a little stretch of her own.

"You scared the crap out of me, Shep!" Kasumi said, hand on her chest, unconsciously trying to stop her heart from escaping.

"I'm sorry, but when when you wake up to a nice round butt in cute underwear, you feel the need to mention it," Shepard said, her diabolical grin still adorning her face. The comment made Kasumi put a hand on her backside to cover it up.

"At least I didn't get my boobs out," Kasumi returned. Shepard's face fell.

"Oh God, I did, didn't I? Did you have to remind me?" Shepard moaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Remind you? It was the highlight of my night," Kasumi said, then chuckled at the look of incredulity on Shepard's face.

"Kasumi Goto! I didn't know you were that way inclined!" Shepard said over-dramatically.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Shep."

"There's a lot no one knows about you, Goto. Before last night, the only thing I really knew about you was that you liked ramen."

"Okay then, _Sheplock Holmes_ , what did you learn about me last night?" Kasumi sat back down on the bed for what she assumed would be an interesting answer.

"Well, I know you can handle your brandy. I know that you're pretty funny. I know that you don't hog the sheets. Oh, and I know you have a stunning body and gorgeous eyes," Shepard added, matter-of-factly. Kasumi held her arms to herself in a moment of self-consciousness.

"Hmm. Not as interesting as I expected," Kasumi lied, in spite of the slight tingling she felt in her stomach, and smiled as she stood up to retrieve her outfit from the couch.

"I didn't realise you were expecting a psychiatric dissertation. I've got a better picture of who you are, at least. I wouldn't mind getting to know you a bit better," Shepard said, with a warm smile.

"I might be able to arrange that, Shep," Kasumi said, returning the smile. "Can I use your shower?"

"Knock yourself out," replied Shepard as she herself started climbing out of bed. "Don't take too long."

* * *

Whilst in the shower, Kasumi went over the happenings of the night before and the conversation with Shepard she'd just had. The commander had complimented her sense of humour, her eyes, her body, and her overall personality, and while Kasumi couldn't help but feel flattered and happy about the comments, they were also slightly torturous to her. Kasumi didn't know if Shepard's comments about her were anything more than idle flirting, she didn't know if this was what Shepard was like with her friends or if she was subtly trying to get an appropriate reaction from Kasumi. What was she to do? Act upon the flirtations and risk humiliation after misjudging them, or just ignore them as mere flirtations, as light banter that amuses Shepard? In this situation Kasumi would have normally asked around, but she got the distinct impression from the other ship-mates that despite Shepard getting to know her crew, no one really knew _her_. Well, besides Garrus, maybe. And of course Liara would have known her well.

Ah, yes. Liara. Kasumi had forgotten about her. She told herself that this was all academic now, that Shepard had openly admitted that a family with Liara was a hope for her. Shepard had said it was something to live for, to fight for, even. Kasumi shook her head to free her from her thoughts, and to let herself enjoy the first decent shower she'd had since joining the crew of the Normandy.

* * *

Kasumi was right about shore leave, but she was wrong about the Citadel – they had docked at the Nos Astra space port on Illium. Some of the crew had gone ashore, including Shepard, others stayed behind working still, while some chose to merely catch up on some sleep. Kasumi, however, was exploring the ship and chatting to some of the crew. She found herself in the medical bay, coercing Dr Chakwas to have lunch with her. They were sitting in the mess hall at a table, and once they had finished their food the doctor admitted to Kasumi that it was quite lonely work in the med bay and that she appreciated her company. She mentioned that Shepard had shared a drink with her one night, and a thought popped into Kasumi's head.

"What's Shepard like with you?"

"The commander?" Chakwas began. "How do you mean?"

"Is she flirty with you?" Kasumi asked, somewhat coyly. She felt a little bad about asking questions about Shepard, especially since she'd decided she wasn't going to act upon her feelings toward her, but she felt she needed to know either way.

"Shepard?" Chakwas barked a surprised laugh. "Good heavens, no. What ever gave you that idea?"

"Shepard and I had a drink together last night," Kasumi began, "and… oh, it's nothing, forget I asked."

"And Shepard was flirting with you, was she?" The doctor didn't seem like the type to gossip, Kasumi thought, but her eyebrows were raised and she seemed very interested and fairly surprised about this revelation.

"Yeah. It's confused the crap out of me."

"How do you mean?"

Kasumi opened up to Chakwas. She felt she could trust her, and although the thief never revealed her secrets to anyone, she was so confused and frustrated that she let it all out. She told the doctor everything, how she felt about Shepard, what happened last night, the things that Shepard had said to her, how she had woken up practically in Shepard's arms and how that made her feel, but also how she didn't want to get in-between Shepard and Liara, though she stopped short of telling Dr Chakwas about the 'little blue children.'

After Kasumi had finished, and after a moment of measured silence from the doctor, Chakwas let out a sigh. "That is quite the predicament, I admit. I think you're best off leaving it alone. For the moment, anyway. It sounds like you'd feel too guilty if you were to do anything. I mean, you seem to be beating yourself up over merely liking the woman. However, it does sound like Shepard has a thing for you, too. Though I realise that's scant consolation at this point."

Kasumi replied with a sigh of her own. "At least I know I'm not going crazy. Thanks, Doc. Sorry about the rant."

"Oh, don't be silly, it's fine. Oh and chalk this one up to doctor-patient confidentiality. My lips are sealed."

"Thanks again, Dr Chakwas." Kasumi stood up from the table they were sharing. "I'll stop by again soon."

"Make sure you do. Like I said, it's bloody lonely!"

Kasumi chuckled and walked around the corner back to her room. She'd decided she wasn't going to go ashore, nor was she going to explore the ship any more. She was just going to settle down with a good book and escape herself for a few hours.

* * *

Kasumi had dozed off on the port observation deck while reading 'Love in the Void,' and woke up looking at its back cover. It had slipped out of her hand in her sleep and she had lost the page she was on. _Should have just bought the damn thing on datapad,_ she thought. She sat for a moment not believing she had fallen asleep; had she not slept as well as she'd thought, or was it that her body, after finally getting enough of it, craved even more sleep? She yawned widely and heard a chink of glass. She looked toward its source, and sitting with her back to Kasumi was the unmistakeable form of Shepard, hunched over with her elbows on the bar, as if deep in thought.

"Shep?" Kasumi asked.

Shepard turned her head to look over her shoulder somewhat, grunted a small 'hullo' and returned to her drink. Kasumi frowned. That was unlike Shepard. Even when she was stressed she still normally had an air of playfulness about her, professionalism with a smile, strictness with a mildly humorous touch. Shepard's greeting had been… grumpy. Kasumi stood up and, for what felt like the hundredth time that day, enjoyed a long stretch, before joining Shepard at the bar.

"There are bars on Illium, you know, Shep." Kasumi said, testing the waters. She wasn't sure how Shepard would react when she was in this state, whatever it was.

"Fucking asari everywhere, though. Even the barkeep was a damned asari," Shepard replied, displaying clearly the signs of being in a fairly bad mood.

"I don't understand. What happened to the woman who wanted 'little blue children?'" Kasumi asked, thinking of what Shepard had shared with her the night before.

"Turns out you need an asari mate to get them, and I sure as shit don't have one of those." Shepard said before finishing her drink.

"Shep, you're not making much sense. Did something happen on Illium?" Kasumi asked, worriedly.

Shepard sighed. "Liara was there. Turns out two years _is_ a long time, even to the asari." She poured herself another drink and continued, Kasumi had hopped onto the bar and was sat cross-legged against the wall. "It was like we barely knew each other. I heard her talking to someone, threatening them. That wasn't Liara. Liara doesn't threaten people. Then we kissed, but it was like she was too busy for it, like I was distracting her from something. And then she was all, 'can you do this for me, can you do that for me?' And of course I did, like a fucking idiot, instead of calling her out. Now I don't know what to think." Shepard sighed again, and downed her glass.

"Hey, ease up on that." Kasumi said, but Shepard just waved her away with a frown on her face. "What was she so busy with?"

"Some bullshit with the Shadow Broker. Cerberus has given me intel on him to give to her, but… fucking Collectors. They've ruined everything. I'm gonna nuke the shit out of the whole lot of them." Shepard said, more to her glass than Kasumi.

"It must be quite important if it involves the Shadow Broker," Kasumi said, softly.

"I don't give a fuck about the God damn Shadow Broker, Kasumi!" Shepard said, raising her voice slightly, as she poured herself another drink.

"She might be in danger, Shep. And will you ease up on the drinking!" Kasumi added, raising her own voice as Shepard downed another shot.

Shepard turned around in a flash and pelted the glass across the room. It shattered against the wall right above Kasumi's bed and cascaded all over it, the sound of it hitting the wall louder than it had any right to be. Before Kasumi could even react Shepard was already through the door, gone in an instant.

"What the…" Kasumi said to herself as she hopped off the bar and crossed the room to look at the remnants of the shot glass that littered her bed. "Good work, Goto. You really handled that well," she added sardonically, shaking her head.

* * *

Kasumi assumed that Shepard had gone to her cabin, and gave her a few minutes to cool down before following her. Sure enough, as the doors hissed open, the commander was there, sitting on her bed, elbows on her knees and head in her hands. Kasumi made her way down to Shepard, not really knowing what she was going to do or say when she got there.

"What do you want, Kasumi?" Shepard asked, without looking up.

"I want an apology," Kasumi answered, pulling down her hood and crossing her arms.

"Yeah? And I want the last two years of my life back. If you can get me that, then you can have your fucking apology," Shepard said, finally looking at Kasumi.

"Shepard, can you not speak to me like that, please?"

"Can you not barge into my room demanding apologies, then?"

"Don't take all this out on me. I'm only trying to help, to be a friend. I could go right back below deck and ignore you, but I'm not going to. Just calm down and speak to me, Shep."

Shepard sighed and put her face back in her hands, and sat in silence for a few seconds. "Shit. I'm sorry, Kass. I'm just a little messed up right now."

"I get that, but drinking and getting angry about it isn't going to help." Kasumi said, as she sat down on the bed next to Shepard.

The commander huffed a sound of dry mirth. "Felt pretty good smashing that glass."

"I'm sure it did, but it broke all over my bed."

"Yeah… that was not a sound tactical decision on my part… fuck. I'll go clean it up." Shepard said as she went to stand up.

"Leave it, Shep. I'll get it. Or I'll get Gardner to do it."

Shepard huffed and sat back down on the bed. "Fine. Goodness knows Gardner could do with some actual work."

"Cooking for a ship full of hungry people is real work, Shep."

"Not if I'm the one buying all the ingredients for him."

"Christ, Shep, you even buy the food? Do you ever take a day off?" Kasumi said, disbelievingly.

"Only the more expensive food. And we spent last night getting drunk, didn't we?"

"That was nothing, a couple of hours then bed. After you'd busted your ass all day, too! And you were on Illium for _hours_ , today. What were you doing when you weren't helping Liara? Surely _that_ didn't take all day!"

"I was chasing leads on an assassin and an asari justicar. They're supposed to be on Illium somewhere."

"You're unbelievable." Kasumi said, shaking her head at Shepard, a look of disbelief on her face. "How long are we planning on staying on Illium?"

"It's shore leave. 48 hours," Shepard answered, as if it was obvious to all.

"Take tomorrow off, and don't do anything. Stay in bed all morning, laze around in your underwear, watch a bunch of crap movies, eat lots of chocolate ice cream, masturbate until you're blue in the face, whatever," Shepard's eyes widened while Kasumi carried on, as if she hadn't said anything that could cause such a reaction. "But above all else, get some damn rest. You're stressed. You're no good to anyone when you're breaking glass over their beds. Take a chill pill, Shep. For me."

Shepard sighed, and sat in thought for a few seconds. "That does sound quite nice, actually." Shepard gave Kasumi a pained expression, as if she was agreeing to do something she really did not want to. "All right. I think you should join me, though, seeing as it was your idea. You sleeping up here again?"

"I can do tomorrow, no probs, but I don't think I should stay tonight."

"How come?" Shepard asked, confused.

"Shep, you're practically married."

"To Liara?" Shepard said, then huffed. "If you'd have seen us today, you wouldn't think that. It was weird and awkward. She was like… a stranger in a friend's body, or something." Saying that seemed to visibly hurt Shepard. "And anyway, we're only sharing a bed. It's not that big of a deal."

"Well, my bed _is_ covered in glass…" Kasumi agreed.

Shepard smiled. "Exactly."

"That's two nights in a row you've charmed me into your bed, Shep."

Shepard chuckled. "You're right, though. I think I need some R&R. Tomorrow should be fun."

* * *

The pair woke up together the next day, and spent a couple of hours talking and laughing in bed. Eventually their peace was interrupted by a knock on Shepard's door. Kasumi hopped out of bed and sat on the couch behind the ship display case, hiding from whoever it was. Shepard got dressed and unlocked the door, revealing Kelly Chambers.

"Kelly, what's up?" Shepard greeted the yeoman.

"Commander, sorry to disturb you, it's just that no one has seen you all day and they were wondering where you were. EDI said she couldn't contact you, either."

"Ah shit, I forgot to turn her link back on in here. I turned it off last night."

"Have you been up here all morning, Commander?" Kelly said, glancing over Shepard's shoulder to look at the room behind the commander.

"Yeah, I'm just taking a day. R&R and all that, you know. Nothing to worry about."

"Yes, ma'am. There are new messages at your private terminal, too. I don't think there's anything urgent, though."

"Thank you, Kelly."

"Also, Commander, no one has seen Kasumi since yesterday. Do you know where she might be?"

"Kasumi?" Shepard said, rubbing the back of her head. "Nope. You know what she's like, she could be standing right behind you for all you know."

"Ah, well I'm sure she'll turn up. That's all I needed, unless there was anything I could do for you, Commander?"

"Yeah, there might be. Have you been working during shore leave, Kelly?"

"Yes, Commander."

"And what did you do during the last shore leave?"

"I worked, Commander. And the time before that." Kelly said, with a hint of reticence.

"Damn it, Kel." Shepard said, then stepped into 'official mode' with her hands behind her back. "I'm relieving you of all your duties until tomorrow, Miss Chambers. Get yourself ashore and do some shopping or whatever, and have fun. That's what you can do for me. Take it as an order."

"Aye, aye, ma'am." Chambers said, saluting and smiling.

"Just don't sign anything on Illium. That'll be all, Yeoman." Shepard said, returning the salute and smiling back.

"I won't, ma'am. Thank you, ma'am." Chambers turned and stepped on the elevator with a wide smile on her face.

Kasumi was sitting cross-legged on the couch as Shepard walked down the steps. "Sounds like I've been rubbing off on you, Shep."

Shepard chuckled as she took a seat on her bed, facing Kasumi. "I wondered why my thigh was damp when I woke up," she said, with a mischievous grin on her face.

It took a while for Kasumi to stop laughing at Shepard's bawdy joke, especially with Shepard laughing back at the thief's hysterics. Eventually, Kasumi calmed down enough to talk.

"That was nice, what you did for Kelly," she said, still chuckling somewhat and wiping her eyes.

"Kelly's a sweetheart. When she's not at her workstation she's talking to the crew, which is part of her job. She doesn't stop working."

"Yeah, I like Kelly. Mind you, I think everybody does. Well, maybe not Jack."

"Jack doesn't like anyone, though."

"Hey, she likes me… I think." Kasumi sat for a while in thought, as Shepard got up to check her messages on her terminal. A mischievous grin appeared on the thief's face as she came up with a question or two to ask Shepard. "Hey, Shep. Would you have sex with Jack?"

"What? What kind of a question is that?" Shepard asked, looking away from her terminal with a confused look on her face.

"I'm curious, just answer it."

Shepard made a noise of exasperation before answering. "I don't know. She's quite pretty when she isn't snarling, but those tattoos are crazy, and that bald head. I don't know. Would you?"

"I'm the one asking the questions."

"Questions? Wait–"

"Would you have sex with Joker?"

"I'm not doing this, Kass."

"Just answer the question!" Kasumi said, in a higher tone.

Shepard huffed. "No, I wouldn't have sex with Joker."

"Would you have sex with Garrus?"

"No, he's like my best friend, it'd be weird."

"Jacob?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"Booooring! Next."

"Mordin."

"I don't even know how that'd work."

"Zaeed."

"Nah. I like him, though. He's mental, but he's cool."

"Mess Sergeant Gardner?"

"Ohh yeah."

"Really?!"

"Ha! No."

"Dr Chakwas."

"No, she's like a school teacher or something."

"Engineer Donnelly?"

"Only in his dreams."

"Engineer Daniels."

"Hmm. I don't know. Yeah, I probably would, actually. Don't tell Donnelly that, though. It'd give the guy an aneurysm."

"Grunt."

"Ouch! No!"

"Kelly."

"Maybe."

"Miranda?"

"Not my type."

"Really? Beautiful, raven-haired temptresses with perfect bodies aren't your type?" Kasumi asked.

"Well, she's a bit of a bitch, isn't she? She's too severe for me."

"You're only having sex with her, you're not marrying her."

"Kasumi, shut the fuck up about Miranda, will you? Christ."

Kasumi chuckled. "So what is your type?"

Shepard stood in thought for a second, staring into the middle distance before sighing. "I dunno… playful, innocent, sweet."

"Oh, so you like to corrupt the young and the naïve, do you?" Kasumi playfully accused.

Shepard laughed. "I suppose I do. No, it's more that I see a lot of brutal shit in my line of work, and I want to leave all that crap behind. Be with someone who can make me forget what a fucked up galaxy we're in."

"I guess I can understand that."

"What's your type, Kass?"

Kasumi thought for a moment before smiling. "Red-haired, green eyed, strong-willed individuals in positions of power."

Shepard smiled. "I don't know where you're gonna find one of those. Just answer the damn question."

"I did."

"All right, then. What exactly is stopping us?"

"W- what do you mean?" Kasumi asked, as Shepard reappeared from the behind the display case and leaned on it.

"What the fuck is stopping us? What's stopping you from jumping my bones, or vice versa?"

"Erm…" Kasumi hesitated, suddenly lost for words as her heart started pounding. "Li- Liara. You're with Liara."

Shepard shook her head and frowned. "Doesn't fucking feel like it. I asked her to talk to me, but she just gave me some lame excuse about everything being recorded."

"I've heard stories about Illium. Maybe it wasn't an excuse."

"I only wanted to talk about us. Who's gonna care that we're supposed to be seeing each other?"

"That's the kind of information someone can use against you. They'd get to you through Liara."

"But it doesn't make any sense. We kissed, right there in her office, with big windows that anyone could have been looking through. That was enough to tell that we cared for each other." Shepard started pacing the room in front of her bed, slightly agitated. "Not only that, her secretary, Nyxeris, it turns out she was a Shadow Broker agent, and Liara's supposed to be going after the Shadow Broker. That was what I was helping her with. I did a little detective work for her, and when I told Liara who she was, she killed her. She killed her secretary. By the time I got back, it was all over, the body was gone, it looked like nothing had happened, and she acted like she was pleased with herself. It freaked me out." Shepard sat down on the couch next to Kasumi. She was hunched forward, looking at floor, dejected. "That wasn't the girl I fell in love with."

"We all kill people, Shep. It comes with the work."

"I know, and it's not like I haven't seen her kill people before, either, but the way she seemed happy that she'd just had to kill someone she knew, it was… I've never had to do that, and I'm not _happy_ about a single one of those I have killed."

"Are you're sure you're not just reading too much into her… her mannerisms or whatever?" Kasumi asked.

Shepard thought for a few seconds. "I don't know. It's all a mess, anyway. I just… I got the distinct impression that she's moved on, and I was thinking that maybe I should, too." Shepard said, looking at Kasumi with a half-smile.

"But you said you loved her. 'Little blue children.' Where did that go?"

"That was just sentimental bullshit… or something, I dunno. I'm just not the type of person to sit around feeling sorry for myself. Well, not for too long, anyway. And I'm no sucker for unrequited love." Shepard scooted closer to Kasumi on the seat and grabbed her hand. "Listen, I like you, Kasumi, and I know you like me."

"But isn't it a bit too soon?"

"It's been two years."

"Yeah, but not for you."

"It obviously doesn't matter to anyone else how long it's been for me," Shepard said, referring to Liara, Kasumi thought.

"And you wouldn't be doing this to get back at Liara?"

"Liara's never going to know if she doesn't need to. I'm not doing this to hurt her, I'd never do anything to hurt her, but… I think I've got someone else I care for more, now," said Shepard, while raising her hand to Kasumi's face, holding her cheek.

"Are you sure?"

"Kasumi, the fact that you care enough to ask makes me know I am. You're amazing. Being with you is amazing, and I think we can make it even better," Shepard said, sitting on the edge of the couch, turning her body towards Kasumi.

"But, Shep. I'm not… I'm straight," Kasumi said. Shepard sat in front of the thief with her mouth open, looking both horrified and confused at the same time. "Ha! Got ya!"

Shepard breathed in deeply and then exhaled loudly, clutching her chest. "What… the fuck…"

"Oh, shut up and kiss me, Commander," Kasumi said, as she leant in towards Shepard.

* * *

A couple of hours later, the pair were lying in bed together, both a little out of breath and slightly sweaty. Kasumi noted the significance of how she was lying with Shepard, how it was exactly the same way she had found herself the morning before, the only differences now being her, and Shepard's, complete lack of clothing and the fact that Shepard was awake. Kasumi raised her head off the commander's chest and turned to look at her new lover, and Shepard looked down back at Kasumi and smiled. Kasumi then grabbed Shepard's cheeks and squeezed them, making the woman's lips pout stupidly. The thief made a quack noise, let go and put her head back on Shepard's chest, leaving Shepard quite confused.

"I think that's the weirdest 'thank you' I've ever received," Shepard said.


	3. Big, Smelly Soldier-Bitch

It had been a few days since the Normandy had departed Illium. Shepard hadn't gone back to see Liara since they last spoke, instead using the time on the planet to recruit the assassin, a drell named Thane Krios, and the asari justicar, Samara, who were both now safely ensconced on Shepard's ship, willing and able to join the fight against the Collectors. The struggle to get to both of them had annoyed Shepard. She wished everyone had the foresight of Kasumi, to just make contact with her without too much of a fuss and then board the ship. No fighting mercenaries all the way up a skyscraper, no administering a cure to a plagued section of a space station that had been built outwardly of a meteor, no having to shoot a way through a prison ship in the middle of a full scale riot, none of it. In comparison, Kasumi's recruitment was a friendly chat and not much else.

Shepard didn't know what to think of Kasumi when she had first met her. She reasoned that this was what Kasumi intended - there was obviously more to being a master thief than merely tip-toeing around and whispering. Still, Shepard had found herself somewhat entranced by what she could see of Kasumi. The thief's eyes had been impossible to see under the darkness of her hood, so Shepard had trained her vision on Kasumi's lips, and she found herself enjoying watching them. Beautiful, soft, full lips, with an intriguing purple tattoo square on the lower, with another just below where lip met chin. Even now, after Shepard had seen every part of Kasumi, her lips were still Shepard's favourite feature of the thief.

* * *

Garrus took immense pleasure in calibrating the Normandy's mass accelerator cannons. It was so much more involved than maintaining a Mako, and therefore much more satisfying, even when he could only manage to trim off a fraction of a millisecond of the time between the cannon's shots. He used it mainly as a distraction, though, and he knew it. Garrus, when left alone to his thoughts, was racked with guilt. Though it had been somewhat assuaged after hearing of Shepard's resurrection, or whatever it was, he still felt guilty for not being there when Shepard needed him, especially when she was there for him right as he needed her the most. And then there was his team on Omega.

Why did he go back to C-Sec after the Battle of the Citadel? Of course he knew, C-Sec needed him, but so did Shepard. When word came in that Shepard was presumed dead, and frustrated with all the bureaucracy that bogged him down, he left C-Sec and headed to Omega, mostly because he wanted to make a difference, partly because Shepard's apparent death left him otherwise at a loss. The Council had practically abandoned Shepard to her death, and Garrus was sick of the sight of the Citadel and anything to do with it. Omega was perfect for him. Criminal scum everywhere, and not a single round he fired had to be followed up by tons of paperwork that accounted for the wherefores and whatnots.

He was proud of the work he and his team did on Omega. Proud of all the innocents saved, proud of all the mercenary bands he pissed off, proud of his moniker from the populace. If it weren't for fucking Sidonis… all dead, all good people, all deserved better. They were gone and these should have been his final moments; at his lowest, exhausted both mentally and physically, and resigned to the fact that he was going to die. He was talking to his father, almost saying goodbye, his father willing him not to give up. But then he saw them in his scope: those two human symbols – a letter and a number. Three short years ago, they would have meant nothing to him, but now they buoyed him immensely. They were gone as quickly as he had seen them, the flash of red hair that went along with them was unmistakeable.

"You finish up what you have to do there, and then you come on home to Palaven. We have a lot to sort out," he heard his father barely say through his communications device.

"Yeah, we do. Thanks, Dad. For everything." He paused as hope inside him sprung anew. "I have to go now. Don't worry about me… I'll make it home when I can. The odds just got a lot better."

Garrus smiled to himself as his mind flashed back to what had happened only a few short weeks ago. He knew that there was no Vakarian without Shepard, and he would tell her that one day. Well, he'd tell her his version of that one day. He heard the tell-tale hiss of the door behind him opening, and without looking around, greeted the woman he owed so very much to.

"Shepard, how's it going?"

"Helloooo, Garrus!"

The commander beamed a smile at Garrus as she greeted him. For the last few days, Garrus and others noticed, Shepard had been extremely happy, ever since shore leave on Illium. Garrus hadn't seen Shepard in such a way since after the Battle of the Citadel. They had been kept on the station, and once they had been patched up and medically cleared, and then debriefed by Alliance command and C-Sec and the Council, they were finally allowed respite. Shepard and Liara then disappeared for a day or two, and when they reappeared… well, Shepard looked then much like she does now - elated and content.

Shepard paced slowly around the main battery with her arms behind her back and a slight spring in her step. She was taking the room in, looking at the cannons, but not really looking, Garrus noticed. She seemed distracted, but in a good way, with a smile permanently carved into her face. If Garrus didn't know the commander, he'd have found it irritating. As it was, seeing Shepard like this cheered Garrus, though he was still curious as to why she was so upbeat.

"You seem cheerful, Shepard."

Shepard merely hummed in reply, smiling contentedly still. Garrus chuckled and shook his head.

"Come on, out with it, Shepard. What's the secret to your happiness? Let others in on the action."

Shepard's eyes widened at Garrus, as if a little put out by what he'd said.

"Shepard, I'm still getting used to the wide array of facial expressions you humans have, you're going to have to talk to me. You know, use your words," Garrus said as he crossed his arms and leant on the panel that usually had his undivided attention.

"Just be glad I'm not an elcor," Shepard said, making Garrus' mandibles twitch in amusement.

"It would have been funny to see an elcor flipping off a krogan," Garrus replied, recounting a previous mission in which the commander had done just that. Shepard huffed with mirth.

"Angrily: go fuck yourself, Uvenk," Shepard said, imitating elcor speech. Garrus laughed.

"I don't think a krogan has ever been put down so harshly by someone so small before," Garrus teased.

"Hey, I'm not small," Shepard replied, slightly offended.

"You're pretty small to me. To krogans, you're tiny," Garrus reasoned.

"Everything is tiny to krogans. Besides, I'm the tallest human on the ship," Shepard said, standing up straight and proudly.

"Miranda is taller than you."

"Miranda was genetically engineered to be that tall, she doesn't count."

"Oh, and I suppose it took you effort to grow, did it?" Garrus playfully accused.

"I'm sure my indomitable willpower had something to do with it," Shepard said, thumping her chest with a fist. Garrus laughed. Despite the fact that she was a fair few inches shorter than Garrus, she had the ability to scare him shitless. Wrex had once likened her to a small whirlwind of fire on account of her flame-red hair.

"You still owe me an explanation for why you're so cheerful," Garrus said, trying to eke the answer out of Shepard.

"I don't owe you a damn thing, Vakarian," Shepard said, poking the turian's chest plate, the smile on her face still inexorable.

"True. Doesn't mean I shouldn't get one. I'm assuming you saw Liara on Illium."

Shepard's smile faltered a little at the mention of Liara. "Oh, yeah. I did."

"I would have liked to have seen her, but I can understand you wanting to be alone with her," Garrus said. If he had eyebrows he would have wiggled them at Shepard, but the tone of his voice was enough to imply that he was teasing the commander.

"She's an information broker, now," Shepard said, her smile gone.

"Really? What's so important about the information she's brokering that she hasn't joined us? I expected her to jump at the chance to be with you, with us again, on the Normandy."

"It's… complicated, Garrus," Shepard said, now frowning. If Garrus didn't know any better, he'd swear Shepard was trying to avoid the subject.

"Shepard, what is it you're not telling me? One minute you're as happy as I've ever seen you, then I bring up Liara, which I assumed was why you were happy, and suddenly it seems like the weight of the galaxy is on your shoulders."

Shepard sighed. "Things didn't go well with Liara. She's… changed. Or I think she's changed. It was all a fucking mess." Now Shepard seemed downright crestfallen, Garrus noticed.

"I'm sorry about that, Shepard. Forgive me for prying, but none of this makes sense. How come you were so happy when you came in?"

Shepard pursed her lips, like she wanted to say something but was physically stopping herself from doing so. As she did so, her smile reappeared on her face.

"Spill it, Shepard. I haven't got all day, and I know you're hiding something."

"Okay, but this is top secret, classified information. I'm telling you this on a purely need-to-tell-someone basis and because I trust you. If you divulge this intel to anyone, I will kick your shiny, metal ass from the cargo bay to the bridge. Clear?" Shepard said, pointing threateningly at Garrus.

"Yes, ma'am," Garrus said.

After a moment, during which Shepard stoically studied the turian, a mischievous smile appeared on her face. "I'm seeing someone," she almost sang.

That was the last thing Garrus expected, though he didn't even know what the first thing he expected was. "'Seeing someone?'" That was a strange human idiom, Garrus thought, but the meaning wasn't lost on him. "On the Normandy? Who?"

"Kasumi."

After a moment's pause, Garrus' mandibles twitched in amusement while Shepard watched him expectantly. "You never stop surprising me, Shepard," he said, with a hint of laughter. "You and Kasumi? That's a little out of the blue. When did this happen?"

"Only a couple of days ago, during shore leave," Shepard answered. "We just clicked. It was kinda crazy, really, and it happened so fast." She frowned while smiling still, and stood in thought for a moment. "And it's strange, because before Liara I never really needed anyone. I just kinda got on with my shit and nothing else really mattered. I've opened up," she added, with a knowing smirk.

"So, you've broken up with Liara, I take it." Shepard's smile disappeared again. Garrus scorned himself. _Don't be so blunt about it, you idiot. Just let her be happy when she can be. If anyone deserves that, it's her._

"She's the one who did the breaking up, if either of us did. Like I said, it was a fucking mess." She shook her head. "Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about my damn love-life, Vakarian. I need you to do something for me."

"Yeah, sorry, Shepard. For what it's worth I'm happy for you." Shepard smiled warmly at that. "So what is it you wanted?"

"Well, this isn't a dressing down, but I don't like you spending all your time in here. As important as the Normandy's guns are, it might be a good idea to get to know the newbies, to know the people you'll be leading."

"Leading?" Garrus almost looked shocked.

"Yeah. Miranda might be the XO, but I see you as my second-in-command. Out of everyone on the Normandy at the moment, I know you the best and I trust you the most, so I want you to get to know the squad. You know, camaraderie." Garrus nodded. "Start with Kasumi, though. Mainly because I'm interested to know what you think about her," Shepard said, smiling.

"Will do, Commander. I'll make sure she's good enough for you and threaten to kick her ass should she ever hurt you."

Shepard chuckled. "Still got my back, I see, Garrus?"

"Always."

* * *

It was important to stay in shape aboard a starship, to remain as close to your physical peak as possible, but it was fairly awkward to do so. There wasn't a lot of room to do much, so every now and then the cargo bay was cleared and some gym equipment brought out. A couple of weight-lifting benches and running machines were all that were available, as there simply wasn't enough room for much else despite the fact that they were collapsible, nor was there much time to use them. The cargo bay housed the Kodiak and the Hammerhead, both of which required near constant maintenance, so to use the equipment while that was ongoing was simply inviting mishaps. It was therefore up to the individual to exercise themselves.

The port observation deck had just enough room in which to exercise, the only problem was that it wasn't particularly private. Shepard had explicitly forbidden Kasumi from hacking and locking the door, as doing so bypassed EDI's systems. If the Normandy got into trouble and the room was sealed off, due to the structural weak-point of the view port, EDI wouldn't be able to do anything if Kasumi had locked herself inside, and she might not be able to get out if the room was breached, however unlikely that may have been. The safety of Shepard's crew was paramount, and Kasumi had caught an earful from Shepard when she found out that Kasumi locked the door to exercise in privacy. Kasumi explained that she liked to practice her yoga and t'ai chi ch'uan in her underwear to allow for full movement and to keep her body cool. When Shepard heard this, she quickly stopped lecturing the thief on the importance of not hacking the Normandy's systems and insisted that Kasumi use the captain's cabin to exercise, preferably when Shepard was present. This made Kasumi playfully call her a pervert, but Shepard replied that she was _her_ pervert.

So now the only time Kasumi spent in the port observation deck was the odd night sleeping in it or reading when she was off-duty – being part of Shepard's specialist unit meant she only worked missions, so she was off-duty a lot of the time. People would come in every now and then, mostly crew she barely knew, and they'd use the bar or the game-pod, but mostly they'd let Kasumi be, only offering her the odd drink or the friendly greeting. Burt, the security guard from the CIC with the wandering eyes, would sometimes sit in awkward silence at the bar, then leave without saying a word. Grunt had made Kasumi laugh once when he appeared in the doorway, took one look in the room and then merely turned around and walked away without saying anything. She'd seen practically everyone in here at one point or another, but she'd never seen Garrus in here. The only real interaction she'd had with him was on an assignment, and that was fleeting. But here he was.

"Do they not have any dextro drinks on this ship?" Garrus said to Kasumi from behind the bar, he was crouched looking through its drinks cabinet.

"It's a Cerberus vessel, so probably not," Kasumi said, as she looked over the top of her book.

"Damn it," Garrus sighed as he stood up. "I miss Tali. Do you know Tali? I don't suppose you do."

"She was on the original Normandy, wasn't she? The quarian girl?"

"That's right. We used to share nutrient pastes and amino drinks. She had a good taste for intoxicating beverages. Shepard said we're going to try and recruit her soon. I hope she joins. I feel a little lonely at meal times," Garrus said as he chuckled.

"I look forward to meeting her," Kasumi replied, cheerfully.

"Do you want a drink, Kasumi? I'll fix you one up and join you, if you don't mind. I can't drink anything myself, though. The best I can do is hand you one and watch you drink it."

Kasumi laughed. "I'm fine, but you're welcome to join me anyway," she said, as she bookmarked her page and placed it on the couch next to her.

Instead of sitting next to Kasumi, Garrus stood in front of the wall-sized view port and took it all in. They were currently in-between star systems in the Omega Nebula, so the view was typical of deep space, wondrous and beautiful and unique, but still not as breathtaking as passing a gas giant, or arriving at the Citadel. Garrus made a mental note to come back here to watch as the Normandy did just that.

"Shepard has told me to get to know the crew, so that's why I'm here. Just a friendly sort of thing. She's big on camaraderie and trust, and having first hand experience of it, I know it works. I've got some fond memories of mine and Shepard's chats on the original Normandy, getting to know each other. It's crazy how much you can have in common with someone from another species, now that I think about it."

"Yeah, Shepard's cool. She's nothing like what I was expecting."

"What were you expecting?" Garrus himself never expected anything of Shepard. His recruitment onto the Normandy happened just as she became humanity's first Spectre. She was a complete unknown to him. He had heard of her and that she was a war hero to the Alliance in some form, but before he knew it he was travelling to Therum with her, on-board her ship. He was too excited about getting to work with a Spectre to feel the need to form expectations. Now, Shepard was known to almost everyone, so it would be interesting to hear what preconceptions people might have had for Shepard.

"I suppose I expected a disciplinarian," Kasumi answered. "A stone cold, hard-ass bitch. She can be a fairly strict, and a hard-ass, but she's definitely not stone cold, nor is she a bitch. I mean, I saw interviews of her where she was so formal and deliberate, and incredibly diplomatic," _and beautiful_ , she thought to herself.

Garrus' mandibles twitched. "She may have seemed like that, but she told me she was only a hair's breadth away from punching that al-Jilani woman."

Kasumi laughed. "Yeah, I saw that one. I don't doubt that Shep wanted to hit her. She was a cunt. Oops!" Kasumi put her hand to her mouth. She had never used such language before. It was Garrus' turn to laugh.

"You've been spending too much time with Shepard."

"I– wait, what do you mean?"

"Nothing." Garrus hadn't meant to reveal his knowledge of Kasumi and Shepard's togetherness in such a way. "Sorry, I… I know about you and the commander. She told me herself," he quickly added as a flash of shock showed itself on what little of Kasumi's face he could see.

"Oh. She didn't mention she was going to tell you."

"I don't think she really planned it, to be honest. I may have… persuaded her to tell me."

Kasumi laughed. "It's okay, I just I thought I'd slipped up. I'm not used to making mistakes."

"I understand. She made me promise to keep it a secret, though. On pain of… well, a lot of pain," Garrus said.

"I think I'll still have to have a word with her about this, though," Kasumi said, smiling.

"That'd be your prerogative, but I think she needed to tell someone about it. It's nice to see her so happy."

"It'll be fun, though. I'll pretend I'm mad at her."

"I didn't realise you were so evil. What has Shepard gotten herself into?"

* * *

Shepard had had a day of it on the CIC, and so excused herself for some downtime in her room. Kasumi's insistence that she let herself get some rest, other than merely sleeping, was bearing fruit. Shepard decided she was going to start work on assembling the model of the Destiny Ascension that Kasumi had bought, or perhaps stolen, for her, and made her way to her room with her thoughts only on that. That was until she entered her room. She paused in the doorway for a second, then smiled. She calmly made her way down the steps, then turned and grabbed at the air in-between her and the partitioning wall at waist-height, but instead of nothingness slipping through her grasp, she had gotten a hold of something and was pressing it tightly to herself. Whatever it was emitted a joyful squeal.

Kasumi appeared in Shepard's arms after disengaging her stealth module, giggling loudly with her hands on Shepard's shoulders, their waists pressed together.

"How'd you know?" Kasumi asked, almost breathless.

"Thermal optics," Shepard said as she let Kasumi go, touching her own cheek to point at her eye.

"Whoa," Kasumi cooed, leaning in to get a closer look at her lover's eyes. "Hey, that's cheating!" She pulled back to give Shepard a jocularly indignant look which made Shepard laugh, but then quickly returned to her previous gaze. "What else can they do?"

"Not too much. Night vision, four times zoom, but that takes some getting used to. I've got millimetre wave scanning so I can see what's underneath your clothes," Shepard said, as she looked down to Kasumi's chest. She laughed as Kasumi made to cover herself up. "That was a joke. It's not that good, and I've seen it all before anyway," she added with a sly grin. She went to cup one of Kasumi's breasts, but the thief swatted her hand away.

"Nuh-uh. I've got a bone to pick with you, Calista," Kasumi had addressed Shepard by her first name for the first time. It caught Shepard by surprise. Only her mother called her Calista, Liara had used her first name once or twice, but she'd been referred to and addressed by her surname by practically everyone else her entire life. Shepard had never really liked the name all that much, and hearing Kasumi say it was unnerving, because it meant she was in trouble, but also nice, as if it affirmed their closeness.

"Okay… what have I done?"

"You told Garrus about us," Kasumi replied, almost pouting.

"I didn't think you were that bothered about keeping us a secret."

"I don't like people knowing my private life," Kasumi said, frowning at Shepard. Her frown then slowly turned to a smile. "Crap. I was gonna pretend I was mad at you, but I can't do it. I'm too happy when I'm with you."

Shepard laughed and pulled Kasumi into hug. "Aww. That was the cheesiest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Yeah, I couldn't help myself," Kasumi said while chuckling.

"So, what did you and Garrus talk about?" Shepard asked while enjoying their embrace.

"You, of course. It's the only thing we have in common, really."

"Do I want to know what was said?" Shepard asked.

"He wanted to know what I expected of you before I met you." Shepard pulled back from the hug and looked at Kasumi with a grin.

"Oh, did he? And what did you say?"

"I said I thought you were going to be a big, smelly soldier-bitch."

"So you were right, then? I am a big, smelly soldier-bitch."

"Shepard, that offends me. I have better taste in lovers than that."

"I don't. My taste in lovers is terrible."

Kasumi pushed herself out of Shepard's partial hug and put her hands on her hips, staring at Shepard with an offended but amused look on her face.

"Right, then. I'm taking that ship model back. Where is it?" She turned around to look at the room and noticed it still in the box on the desk next to the wall, where it sat next to Shepard's old and battered N7 helmet.

"Aw, come on. I was looking forward to making that." Shepard made to get in-between Kasumi and the desk, and stopped Kasumi from getting closer to it. "Please, don't take my ship away!" Shepard said, with exaggerated desperation. "I'll do anything, please. Not the ship! Anything but the ship," she pretended to sob.

Kasumi stood in thought, eyes half-closed and her thumb and forefinger rubbing her chin. "Anything?"

Shepard nodded with a pretend look of utter sadness on her face. Kasumi leant forward and whispered something in Shepard's ear. Shepard pulled back in shock.

"Kasumi Goto!" Shepard said, shocked, but through a smile.

* * *

Kasumi lay in bed while Shepard was busying herself opening the box to the Destiny Ascension ship model and arranging the pieces, paint and decals into an orderly fashion on the bed. Kasumi watched with a smile on her face. Seeing Shepard hungrily go through all the parts and take them in made her seem quite childlike. Her hair was messy and she was wearing nothing but the overly-large N7 t-shirt she slept in, and sometimes her tongue poked out the corner of her mouth. It was ridiculously endearing to the thief.

Kasumi thought that someone who had spent nearly all her life on ships would get sick of the sight of them, but Shepard seemed fascinated when watching the ships coming into dock on the Citadel. She didn't seem all that bothered about how a ship operated, or any of the technical aspects of them, but rather their aesthetics. Shepard was now looking at the box of the model, her head tilted with a quizzical look on her face.

"What's the matter?" Kasumi asked.

"I hadn't seen it until now, but there's a certain… vaginal… quality to this ship. But it's also got a big spire on it, like a penis."

Kasumi laughed, but frowned, puzzled by Shepard's statement. "Okay?"

"No, I mean, people always said that human ships and buildings were very phallic, like great big dicks sticking up into the air, and flying through it. But then you see asari buildings and ships, and they can have cock-like looks, too. It just goes to show you that it wasn't ever a dick-waving contest, just that people have dirty minds."

Kasumi laughed, all thoughts of Shepard being childlike gone thanks to her slightly rude ruminations. "That's quite an astute observation, actually."

"Yeah. It's just that if you're gonna build a tower, it's efficient if it looks like a wang, somewhat. And also, that willies are quite aerodynamic," Shepard added, grinning cheekily at Kasumi, who burst out laughing.

Kasumi had never known anyone to make her laugh as much as Shepard did.


End file.
